Live Up to Your Name
by The Unknown Smile
Summary: When Stripes decides he wants to help out his friend, he doesn't know what trouble he's getting her in. Now, he'll have to watch the feline in the ring, and pray she doesn't get too injured. -Rated T for: language, fighting, and blood. Also lying. This is also furry version, and everyone is a cat!-
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, I'm bored, and I was playing this game that gave me a few ideas for this story. Well, don't hit me and enjoy this!**

**Warning: These are furries! Meaning they're animals that dress, walking, interact, and talk like people. This story also involves bad language and bloody fighting. If you don't like any of these, please leave now! Otherwise, enjoy~!**

**Live Up to Your Name**

**~Prologue~**

The black feline slowly made her way down the dark, stone streets, her violet eyes admiring the little shops on the street.

"Good evening, Miss Smile!" called out one of the owners of a flower stand, waving his white paw at the she-cat. "How are you this fine night?"

"Oh, guten Abend, Mr. Stripes," Smile replied, slowly walking over to the tom. "I'm fine. How about yourself? Have you sold any flowers yet?"

"I'm great! And I've sold a few roses, lilies, and forget me nots!" he told her with a proud voice, rising his head towards the starry sky, hearing her giggle. "Hey! What's going on with you and your job?"

"Oh, that?" Smile sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I got fired..."

"What?! Why? You were such a wonderful worker!" Stripes seemed so angry that his friend was now jobless.

"I dunno. Boss decided that I had to go, so I went," she explained with a sigh. The tom thought for a moment, before a large smile started to spread across his fluffy face.

"Hey! You're a great fighter, aren't ya?" he asked. Smile shrugged, tilting her head and giving him a questioning look.

"I suppose... where are you getting at?" Stripes held up a finger as he bent down, rummaging through useless papers and empty boxes. "AHA!" The tom finally stood back up to full height, shoving a small poster in the feline's paws, smiling as she read the text aloud.

"World fighting tournament being held on March 15th, 2014. If you got what it takes to beat the best, show up at Nightrun Drive at 9:30 pm. No weapons or magic allowed. Only claws, fists, teeth, and tails. Street fighting allowed," Smile looked at Stripes, still having the questioning look. "Stripes, I'll ask once more: Where are you getting at?"

"That, my female friend," started Stripes with an excited tone. "is what will get your bills paid, food on the table, and new fancy clothes! The reward, if you beat every single cat, is three million dollars! Think of it! A new home, a new life, better things! You got this! All you have to do, is beat everyone!"

"I dunno, buddy," she sighed, shaking her head and handing the poster back. "I haven't fought in a long time. Ever since I moved here to Shadow City, I've never had to fight! I think I've gotten rusty, or whatever."

"But that's the beauty of it!" Stripes cheered, leaving his little shop and walking in front of his friend, putting his paws on her shoulders and shaking her. "You can learn again! You can even learn new moves! C'mon, Smile! Please~! If everything doesn't turn out well, you can throw me in the lake with a piece of cement tied to my tail!"

"...Promise?" The tom could only smile.

"Promise!" Smile nodded, making Stripes jump in pure joy, and cling to the she-cat.

"Yes! I love you!" He started to hop around after he released the female, singing to himself, before he ceased his actions and looked at her. "Wait... who're you gonna have train you?"

"Hm... how about..." Smile thought for a moment, before clapping her paws together and giving a hopeful smile. "Habit!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Live Up to Your Name**

**~Chapter 1~**

The moon continued to cast its bright glow down on Shadow City as Smile made her way down the dirt path, stumbling here and there she ran over the dents and stones on the course. She smiled though, once she saw the dim lit cabin and a shadow moving inside. She walked up to the wooden door, knocking on it lightly. Everything seemed to stop. There was no longer the night sounds, no wind, no crickets, and most of all, no noise inside the house. Smile stood there, looking at the little lake that was beside Habit's house. Even _that_ was quiet, and it was always filled with those noisy fish and frogs and whatever else lived there!

"Smile! My sweetheart!" The she-cat jerked her head towards the now open door, facing the orange and white tom. "Please, come on in! Make yourself at home!"

"Thanks, Habit," Smile slowly walked in, taking a seat on the soft, navy blue couch he had.

"So, what's up, sweetheart?" Habit asked, taking a seat by her, the same, familiar, sick and twisted smile on his face. "Why did my favorite, shy, sweet kitty decide to see _me?_ The most vicious, dangerous, evil feline in the world?"

"Well, there's this fighting tournament coming up," started Smile, though Habit held up his paw, silencing her.

"I see!" he spoke, his smile growing even larger. "You're going to compete in it, and you need someone to train you! Someone to show you awesome moves and how to knock out some kitty with _one_ punch! Isn't that right?"

"Well... actually, yeah. You summed it all up!" Habit laughed, nodding his head.

"Of course I did!" He got up, slowly pacing around the room, his fluffy tail swaying this way and that as he chuckled and looked around the living room, eying each and every knife and switchblade he owned. "You see, Smile, I know everything about you. Past life, present life, hell, I even know about your social security code!"

"_Dude!_ C'mon! That's privet!" she hissed. Habit just laughed more, sounding a lot like an evil cackle the more Smile heard it.

"Oh, it's alright, sweetheart!" he cooed, earning a glare from her. "I won't tell what I know! Not to any other cat, and not to you~!"

"Whatever," Smile crossed her arms over her chest, still watching the tom slowly pace. "Are you gonna help me or not?!"

"Well, sweetheart," Habit started, finally stopping and wrapping his tail around his legs. "I will help! But if you piss me off, or try to hurt me, or even try to _attack_ me, I will happily kill you. Ya know, maybe skin you alive, then while you're screaming in pain, pour salt or soap on your bleeding skin? Or... oh, I don't know... cut you up into pieces and force feed your flesh to you? I dunno! I'm just making these up off of the top of my head!"

"I promise I won't do anything that'll get me killed, Habit," she spoke, slowly getting up and making her way towards the door, the male following her. "Thanks for agreeing to train me. You're really helping a lot."

"Well, what're best friends for?" he asked, tilting his head, keeping that damned smile. Smile started to wonder if his cheeks were hurting. Though, when she looked into his bloody red eyes, she saw nothing but pleasure, sickness, death, and a broken soul.

"Yeah... I guess," Smile stood there for a few seconds, hypnotized by the white and orange cat's eyes. She swore that if she looked close and deep enough, she could see the reflections of screaming cats, all begging for help or mercy or just the sweet exit from life. They were all cut up. Some were missing their limbs. Some missing their eyes.

"Sweetheart, I know I'm fascinating, but it's not polite to stare!" Habit's gruff voice snapped Smile back into the dark reality. She shook her head, turning to open the door and walk out. Though, she did look back at Habit. She admired the outfit he seemed to adore. White t-shirt, light blue jeans, black wrist warmers, and a blue spike collar around his neck. He looked like such a nice and normal guy at first glance, but when you got to know him, that would be when all hell broke loose!

"Thanks again, Habit," Smile spoke, breaking away from thought again. "When do you want me to come back for training?"

"Tomorrow at midnight. It'll be the best time!" he told her, looking up toward the stars. "There's supposed to a meteor shower! It would great to train under them!"

"Awesome! See ya then!" The she-cat turned around and walked off, Habit watching her slowly disappear into the darkness.

"Such a sweetheart," he spoke in hushed voice as he went back inside his home. "So oblivious, too! Doesn't even know what's going to happen~!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Live Up to Your Name**

**~Chapter 2~**

Habit paced around his room, a large machete clenched in his paw. He grumbled to himself, saying things along the lines of 'she'll have to' or 'she doesn't have a choice' or even 'I'll kill her if I have to'. To be honest, Habit was actually starting to believe he was losing whatever sanity he had left. The only thing that snapped him back to reality was the screaming coming from his basement. The feline turned and looked at himself in the mirror.

"I'll have to take a shower before I go," he spoke to himself, eying the bloody splatters on his fur. "Can't train Smile looking like this!"

He laughed as he exited his room, almost skipping down to his basement to finish his job.

.-'XXX'-.

Smile danced around her house, singing 'Nobody Likes Me' as she did so. She slipped into the black dress she owned, and put on her matching bow.

"Nobody likes me!" she sang, grabbing her scarf and wrapping it around her neck. "No one likes me! But I don't like them~! Uh huh, I don't, nu uh!"

She smiled, looking finished. Spinning around, she skipped out of her house, only to be stopped by an adorable cry.

"Miss Smile!" The she-cat looked behind her, seeing a gold and orange kit running after her. "Miss Smile! Where are you going?"

"Hey there, Rascal!" she greeted, crouching down to his height and patting his head. "I'm just going out to see my friend. What are you doing out here?"

"I was looking for mommy! Have you seen her?" Rascal was such a good boy. Smile couldn't bare to tell him about his mother. The thing was, his mother made money by dancing on a pole. It wasn't something Smile liked thinking about, and she felt bad for Rascal, since he was such a sweet kit and was oblivious to his mother's job.

"Sorry, kit. I haven't," she lied, her heart breaking when she saw his eyes fill with slight tears.

"She's never home!" he complained, grabbing his fluffy tail and holding it. "She's always at work, and she's never home with me! It's lonely at home, Miss Smile!"

"I'm sorry, buddy," she cooed, pulling him into a hug.

"Can I please stay with you? Mommy wouldn't notice, and I'm scared to stay home!" he confessed, looking back down the dark path that led to his house. "I keep hearing these scary noises!"

"Well..." Smile thought about Habit, and how he would react if she didn't show up. She knew that cat very well. He would probably rant and rave and threaten to no end. But, then again, Rascal was only four, and was actually allowed to watch the horror shows on TV, since his mother wasn't there to watch over him. "I suppose you can. Come on! Let's go inside and watch some cartoons!"

"Yay~!" Rascal happily grabbed Smile's paw, pulling her towards her home. _'I'll deal with Habit later,'_ she thought, giggling at the kit's enthusiasm. _'Really, Rascal is more important than some training. I can always do it tomorrow, right!'_

.-'XXX'-.

Habit played with his tail, his red eyes admiring the still lake that seemed so beautiful to him on this night.

"Where is she?" he asked himself, looking around, still seeing no sign of the other feline. He grumbled a bit, taking out his switchblade and stabbing the grass. "She knew what time I wanted her here, so where is she?!"

He continued to violently stab the poor ground, growing more angry as the seconds ticked away. He gasped quietly, hearing soft footsteps behind him. He looked around, only to snarl at the sight. It was just another lost feline, looking for a way home. He stood up, aimed his switchblade at the feline, and threw it. The shriek from the soul was music to his ears, though it wasn't enough to make him smile. Still, there was no sign of Smile. Retrieving his knife from the crying cat, he wiped it off on his jeans, and went towards the lake. Perhaps a swim would calm him?

Habit gave out a relaxed sigh, playing with a lily pad by him. It was so peaceful in the lake, especially when he was alone.

"Habit! Are you out here?" The feline yelped quietly upon hearing Smile's voice. Now he regretted going for a swim. He could faintly make out her silhouette walking towards the lake. Not wanting her to see him bare, and knowing he wouldn't have enough time to get out and get dressed, he took in a deep breath and went underwater. He could still see Smile looking around, trying to find him. He felt slightly bad for hiding, but he also felt enraged that she was so late!

"Habit~?" she called out once more. He grabbed onto his tail, squeezing and praying he wouldn't drown. "Huh... I guess maybe he's at home! I'll try there!"

Smile finally jogged away, and Habit quickly to the surface, taking in a sweet breath of air. He then got out, shook himself dry, and put on his clothes. He sighed quietly as he looked down the dark and dead path, hearing Smile's soft footsteps getting quieter. He slowly followed her. Maybe scaring her would teach her a lesson?

As Habit finally made it back home, he saw Smile standing there, knocking on his door and calling out his name. He quietly made his way behind her, making sure she didn't hear him.

"You're late," he spoke, his voice stoic. Smile yelped in surprise, turning around to face the tom. "Where were you? I told you the time you had to be here, and you weren't here. Where were you, sweetheart?"

"Damn, you scared me, Habit," she sighed, shaking her head. "Look, Rascal decided he wanted to stay with me for a while, since his mother is never home, and I let him. I just had to wait until he fell asleep, then I left. Be happy I actually showed up!"

"_Don't_ talk to me like that!" he snapped, giving her a low and threatening growl as he glared into her violet eyes. She just matched the glare, not backing down.

"You don't boss me around!" she hissed, taking a step forward, showing she wasn't afraid of him. Habit continued to glare at her, before he started to laugh.

"You're not backing down!" he spoke, actually shocking her. "I'm impressed! That usually threatens some fighters!"

"So... you're not mad?" Smile asked. Once more, Habit gave her a glare.

"Of course I am!" he confessed, crossing his arms. "I'm livid! I gave you an order and you disobeyed it! But... you did show me bravery... I guess I can let you off the hook..."

"Wow. That's... different," The feline giggled, putting a paw on the tom's forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick? Usually, if people got you angry, you would just kill them! What's up with me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! Come on!" Habit angrily grabbed Smile's paw, dragging her back towards the lake.

After fifteen minutes, Habit found himself pinned to the ground with Smile on top of him, slapping his face multiple times. He couldn't get her off. He was trapped with a crazed feline slapping him! His face really started to sting.

"Dammit, stop!" he shouted, still trying to get her off, though she found a way to keep him trapped under her and continued to slap him.

"How dare you grab my tail, sir!" she spoke, finally ceasing her strikes, grabbing Habit's wrists, and pinning them to the ground. Normally, Habit would have no problem throwing someone off and breaking their bones one by one. But it was different for Smile. She was a different type of cat. She actually accepted Habit for what and who he was. But, really, he couldn't let her win like this! If he did, she wouldn't be able to fight properly! So, using little of his strength, he was able to throw her off and pin her down.

"You need to stop fighting blind," he told her, smiling at her confused face. "You lose power when you do that. When fighting, you need to be coordinated."

"Got it... NOW GET OFF!" Chuckling, Habit stood up, helping the she-cat to her feet. He smiled as he looked at her, her violet eyes admiring the beautiful lake. She then turned to face him with a large smile of her own.

"Thanks for letting me slap you and you not stab me millions of times!" she spoke. Habit just nodded.

"Yeah... wouldn't think of it," he muttered the last part, going back to looking at the sight before them. "You know, you'd be better if you didn't get so angry every time someone grabbed your tail."

"I guess. I just don't like it," she replied. He just smiled.  
"I know someone who could help," he told her, making her smile as well.

"So do I!" Smile turned to Habit, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. He was shocked at first, but happily accepted it. She then let him go, smiling at him. _'Perfect time!'_ Habit leaned forward, though he nearly lost his balance as Smile started to skip down the dark path.

"I'll go find Ghost! Thanks, Habit! I owe ya one!" The tom watched the feline skip away, feeling both fury and pain.

"What?"


End file.
